Why is Napa Wine Good and Expensive? Learn about Napa Valley Wines from a Wine Expert

Why is Napa wine good and expensive? What is Napa wine? Napa Valley wines are some of the most expensive wines in California and in the world. Learn about the history of Napa Valley wines, the climate and geography and AVAs and labeling laws. And I will tell you whether I think Napa wines are worth the prices. We'll also cover what you should watch out for bargain Napa wines.

#napavalleywines #napawine #expensivewine #whyisnapa #napavalley #californiawine #sommelier #wineexpert #wine101 #winebasics #vivianwinelesson

00:00 Intro
00:40 History
03:27 Climate & Geography
05:18 AVA & Wine Labeling Laws
06:30 Why are Napa Wines so expensive
07:06 Is it worth it?
08:15 Bargain Napa wines
09:39 Wrap up

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[elixsprite]

so informative and entertaining! amazing infographics that really help solidify the concepts. also hilarious mean girls references. one of your best vids yet!

[StanReitanStanTheWineMan]

Nice episode, good job explaining Napa Valley and why they are more expensive. Keep the great episodes coming. Cheers!

[taliesin]

I live a little south of Napa, and there's a secret some of us know about regarding more affordable Northern California wines, but one must proceed with caution. There's this chain store on the West Coast called Grocery Outlet--each is owned independently, but they often have similar selection, in terms of wine, but there's always wines that are less common, or only found in a handful of stores, including wines from Napa (also Sonoma, Mendocino, Lodi Zins, etc). Prices are always a bargain, but quality is all over the place. Many of these wines are reportedly winemaker seconds (with fictional wine labels), but some are experiments they didn't release, but still has their label, or a one-off akin to what you sometimes see at some Trader Joe's stores around here. Two examples of real wine bargains you can find at most Grocery Outlet stores in this area (the ones in Napa itself are the best)--Pra Vinera Cab, Zin, Pinot Noir, & sometimes other varietals. $7, comparable to a $15+ wine IMHO. Not mind blowing, but a good bargain wine for every day drinking. Not sure who makes that, but I suspect it's some major Napa wine producer. Now, there's a lot of smaller producers around, whose wines you'll see at Grocery Outlet. One winemaker is based in Sonoma, but they get their grapes from all over the place these days, because land prices in Napa and Sonoma are astronomical--that's Sunce. Generally only available by member subscription, rarely in stores. I have friends who've been buying that one for decades, and on occasion you'll see Sunce at Grocery Outlet for about $5 off per bottle. Lots of others like that at Grocery Outlet.

[ordinary-daddee]

Started watching your channel. So yes, Napa definitely has fantastic high-end wines at the $80 to $100+ price points. Unless folks are making north of $250k, great Napa wines are quite out of reach. If you live or frequent the area, finding more affordable good wines is a challenge there. As you mentioned, the Napa label is just a premium. (meh on the bling.)

Having lived in the SF Bay area for over 14 years with friends / acquaintances in the industry, you’ll find just as good wines in Sonoma and Mendocino that’s way more approachable. In fact we call many of them the working folks wineries. People in the know (locals) rave on Anderson Valley way up north. It’s a trek to get there yet worth it. Another favorite growing region is Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo in the Central Valley. In fact the movie Sideways ways filmed there.

With love and affection for outstanding wines, I highly recco that your next visit should focus on those other regions.

[aaronchan]

Would agree that Napa is more consistent in style than Bordeaux, but Bordeaux is just as or more consistent in quality in my opinion. Part of that is global warming and improved winemaking techniques, but yes, the style vintage to vintage and producer to producer will vary more, so for me that makes it more interesting. Bordeaux in general ages better too. Yes, as you said, it might take a little more research to find the style that you like in Bordeaux, but then you get more for your $40-50. Napa is more consistent stylistically, but it's kind of boring in that sense. I'm from that part of California too, but I prefer Bordeaux.